Dates of implementation: August 2023 – ongoing

Partners: European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the Post-Conflict Research Center organized the first ‘State of Peace’ Youth Academy from August 18 – 31 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Young people from across the Western Balkan region took part in a cross-country program with 15 + activities in Tuzla, Brčko, Sarajevo, and Vitez. With an overarching goal of contributing to a more peaceful and democratic future in the Western Balkans, the ‘State of Peace’ Youth Academy aims at improving the capacity and social capital of Western Balkan youth to make a meaningful change in the present. Program activities included over 50 young people (aged 18 – 30) from across the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia) in a two-week youth academy with different activities focused on building understanding, tolerance and entrepreneurial connections between local and regional youth and learning how to cherish and celebrate the cultural, social and religious differences in the Balkan region and wider Europe.